A key House Republican says the evidence that fired former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe lied to federal investigators on multiple occasions is solid and free of any political influence.
{mosads}Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who chairs a House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee, told The Hill that the FBI’s Office of Professional Responsibility identified four times McCabe appeared to lie to his superiors and investigators about communications he authorized between FBI officials and the press, including for an October 2016 Wall Street Journal story.
Jordan dismissed McCabe’s claims he is a victim of politics, saying the evidence gathered by career federal investigators supports Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s decision to fire McCabe.
“He misled his boss, James Comey, he misled the Office of Professional Responsibility — their investigation — and I think he gave false information twice under oath to the Inspector General. So four separate occasions where he wasn’t being square with people he’s supposed to be straight forward with, and he didn’t do that,” Jordan said.
McCabe has fought back against his firing, calling it part of President Trump’s attempt to discredit the FBI and special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling.
Jordan said the concerns about McCabe’s conduct came from inside the FBI and not from political appointees.
“It was the inspector general who said he misled folks, he lied to them about the leak that took place with The Wall Street Journal back in October of 2016,” Jordan said. “It wasn’t Donald Trump, it wasn’t Jim Jordan, it wasn’t Mark Meadows [R-N.C.], it wasn’t Matt Gaetz [R-Fla.]. It wasn’t chairman of the Judiciary Committee or chairman of the Oversight Committee; it was his colleagues who said they recommended he be terminated, that he be fired.”
The Hill reached out to McCabe’s spokeswoman, Melissa Shwartz, for comment.
In an email to The Hill she wrote, “We understand that these members are attempting to create a false narrative that pits former Director Comey against Mr. McCabe. … Nevertheless, one thing is clear: Mr. McCabe never misled Director Comey. Director Comey’s memory of these interactions was equivocal and speculative, while Mr. McCabe’s recollection is clear, unequivocal and supported by documentary evidence.”